Broke...need easy cheap dinner meal ideas...

[bac511]

IDEAS?

[rug]

1. I don't but they do.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=353

[Sugar Smack]

2. Get this. I know it sounds gross but

A bean sandwich is actually very good for you, especially treated with the right condiments and heated up well.

[some guy]

3. that's not gross

it's a burrito with a bad tortilla. :D

:hi:

[Sugar Smack]

11. I had it a lot when I lived in the trailer.

I thought it was pretty yummy, myself. Dad was like, "AUGH" and broke in and filled my fridge the next day.:rofl:

[some guy]

13. I probably like 'em too

at least I like burritos really a lot. I generally don't eat bread, and substitute flour tortillas instead. So if I make sandwiches, they're "wraps" - even before I ever knew what "wraps" were.

Some one else in this thread mentioned red beans and rice. When I make that, I usually have tortillas with it as well.

[Connonym]

4. beans & toast is a very Brit thing

it's not too bad

[Sugar Smack]

12. I liked it.

I still do the bean sandwich because I miss it. :D

[carly denise pt deux]

5. here's some cheap ones

spaghetti-will last more than 1 meal usually
beans with tortillas and a little cheese in burrito
beans are pretty gut filling and cheap and makes enough for more than 1 meal if you cook in crock pot

Carly

[Lethe]

22. lots of stuff here:

you can make a lot of dishes with a pound of ground beef that last a while and fill you up...like:

spaghetti with meatballs
beef stroganoff
beef enchiladas

also, beans are great too. Anything homeade is cheaper too. Like if you make your own pizza dough or tortillas. Homeade refried beans with homeade corn tortillas is just awesome and cheap, but takes time to make.

[WinkyDink]

6. I'm eating it as we speak: Red beans and Rice!

Can't go wrong with a roast chicken, either!

[SPKrazy]

7. pasta

beans

rice

ramen noodles


peanut butter

bread

[Sugar Smack]

9. And vitamins!

Well, I kinda rely on them. :hi:

[Whisp]

15. stir fry with ramen noodles.

I boil the noodles, drain, add olive, marge or butter and that little packet of seasoning (not all it's way too strong for my taste), mix it up. then stir fry whatever I have around. onion, mush, tomato, whatever.

it's quite cheap and quick.

[Lex]

8. store brand mac n' cheese

used to be pretty cheap eats

[Wcross]

10. Mac & Cheese. (add some boiled hot dogs if you have the $)

If you are really flush you can spring for some onions to add in the mix. I always enjoyed large chunks of onion in with the Mac & cheese

[Kali]

34. or some tuna

[XemaSab]

36. Mexican mac

Mac & Cheese (cooked according to package directions)
Tuna/hot dogs
A BUNCH of salsa... like about 1/8 of a cup or more
Hot sauce
Pepper

:9

[riderinthestorm]

14. Eggs

Beans and tortillas

PB and J

Kraft Mac and Cheese

Spaghetti

Cereal

Pancakes

apple windfalls - most people will let you pick up the ones that fall

potatoes

Have you checked out your local food pantry?

[Sugar Smack]

16. When I was road-tripping with my boyfriend-at-the-time

in Asheville, a vegan restaurant sold us leftovers for 20 bucks. It lasted a week.

[hippywife]

17. Tunamato casserole.

My old roommate and I lived on the stuff when we were in our early twenties and broke. I box mac and cheese, one can tuna (drained), and one can diced tomatoes. Prepare mac and cheese according to package directions and stir in the the tuna and tomatoes. It will be filling and last for a couple of meals. I still make it sometimes because we actually liked it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Check the recipes on the back of campbell's soup cans.

The chicken and rice is a pretty good one.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

19. An Italian favorite...spaghetti with oil & garlic ("alio e olio")

Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic - Spaghetti Aglio E Olio



A web-exclusive recipe from Italian Cooking and Living

1 pound spaghetti
salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 dried chili peppers, crumbled
4 or 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil; add the spaghetti and salt and cook until al dente; drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the spaghetti later, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the chili and garlic, and cook until the garlic becomes golden, about one minute. Be careful not to let the garlic brown.

Toss the spaghetti in the pan with the oil; don't introduce any water yet. Once the oil and spaghetti have intermingled, add the cooking water; sauté for one minute to thicken the sauce, and serve immediately, with some freshly ground black pepper if desired. Serves 4

:toast:

[Whisp]

20. oatmeal, cornmeal, cream of wheat.

not necessarily for dinner (altho I have had that for), but it's stick to the ribs good stuff. I would lay off the mac and cheese as a staple. it's not real food. ;(

and soups!
pea soups are great, the make your own kind. and most veggies are still sorta inexpensive. always keep those ramen noodle packets for flavoring - they work good in many recipes.

[Generic Brad]

21. Cooked ramen noodles, fresh veggies & salad dressing

Low cost enough for you?

[mainegreen]

23. Eggs, rice and onions.

Salt & pepper to taste.

[XemaSab]

37. Variation: Eggs, rice, and mushrooms

:9

[Wapsie B]

24. Franks 'n Beans

[Tektonik]

25. buy dried beans and other legumes

all kinds of 'em, they're really yummy and good for you, and cheap as hell

[KitchenWitch]

26. Buy a whole roasting chicken

Roast it.

Cut all the meat off the bones.

Take the carcass and put it in a large pot, fill the pot with water, toss in some minced onion, minced garlic and minced celery. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer for 3-4 hours.

Use the chicken meat in chicken salad, chicken ala king and other dishes.

Add some chicken to the stock and cook noodles in the stock for chicken soup. Freeze the left over chicken soup.

You should be able to get 4-5 meals out of one roasting chicken.

[Catshrink]

31. It's about the same price to buy one at Costco

get a rotisserie chicken, bone it out, and use the carcas for soup like KitchenWitch suggested. We used to get 4-5 meals out of one. They cost $5 -- I don't know if you can buy one to cook for that. And Costco does the gross cleaning and then cooks it.

[Sanity Claws]

27. Soup, like pea or lentil

They're both relatively easy to make from scratch. You can find recipes on line.
Also, if you like yogurt, you can make your own for a lot less than buying it in those little containers. You just need milk. To save even more money, you can use reconstituted nonfat dry milk.

[bridgit]

28. Creamy Chicken Ramen, you can toss a pea on top for presentation...

look for a deal, you can pick'em up for .10-24Cts a bag :9

[raptor_rider]

29. Try this

1 lb ground beef
1 can of Campbell's Nacho Cheese Soup
1 can of Green Chilies
1 can of Rotel (tomato's and green chilie mix)

Brown ground beef to choice, add can of soup with 1/2 can of milk to make sauce thick. Add chilies and rotel. Simmer to desired thickness.

Eat with either noodles to corn chips.

I made this tonight for a quick dinner.

[Catshrink]

30. Toasted PB & J.

Yum!

[Colorado Progressive]

32. Go to your health food store and buy lots of ingredients in bulk.

Like rice, dry beans, flour, whole oats (the best oatmeal!), granola, cornmeal, spices, even dried fruits and veggies. You can eat way, way cheaper, and be healthier too.

[TK421]

33. doughballs...an old Polish depression recipe

mix up four cups of flour and water, and beat with a spoon until it reaches a doughy consistency....


Then you just scoop the balls of dough into a pot of boiling water ( for about five minutes, or until the doughballs float to the top of the pot ) Scoop the fuckers out, and drench them with butter and garlic powder ......voila!!!!! Instant poor-mans dinner!


edited to add: this is extremely filling, so don't make too many!!

[cemaphonic]

35. Pulses from bulk bins.

They are very cheap, filling, and unlike the ramen or mac'n cheese are actually good for you. Indians have an entire category of staple cuisine (dal) made from lentils, split peas, chickpeas, etc. I remember billyskank posting a really nice looking dal recipe a while back.

Lentils, a little soy sauce, brown rice and collard greens is a pretty damn and healthy meal.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

38. Lentils, onions, and whatever "greens" are cheapest...

Boil the lentils for about 10 minutes, then simmer until tender. DO NOT add salt to the water...it will make the lentils tough!
Fry an onion until it is carmelized, then add cooked lentils and chopped greens, stirring frequently until the greens are just cooked. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Serve with plain yogurt, if you like. :hi:

[Inchworm]

39. Didnt read but Ramen noodles ar from heaven

:hug:

[DarkTirade]

40. If you're gonna buy any kind of meat,

buy those big bags of chicken in the freezer section. They'll last ya a while. Go well with just about any cheap mac and cheese or rice-a-roni or anything like that too.

Rice and pasta can be cheap too, especially if you know how to cook them without having to rely on things like mac and cheese or rice-a-roni. :)

Also, peanut butter and jelly sammiches are your best friend.

[RebelOne]

41. There are plenty of low-cost recipes at this site.

http://www.healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/recipeindex.htm

[bif]

42. Beans & rice

Cheap. Good protien source and it really fills you up.

[Tyler Durden]

43. Frozen Stir Fry Veggies, 2 tablespoons of oil, Soy Sauce, Rice:

Instant Stir Fry Veggies over rice for 4. Cost? About $1.50 total.

I usually dress it up with chicken and some added spicing up, but it's a good cheap dish for 4.

They sell about 4 different varieties of Stir Fryable frozen veggies, usually on sale for $1/pack.